St George Greek Orthodox Church Parish Community Shepparton

31/05/2026

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW
johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/06/synaxarion-for-monday-of-holy-spirit.html

Synaxarion for the Monday of the Holy Spirit

By Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos

Monday of the Holy Spirit

On this day, the Monday of Pentecost, we celebrate the All-Holy and Life-Creating and Omnipotent Spirit, Who is God, and One of the Trinity, and of one Honor and one Essence and one Glory with the Father and the Son.

Verses

O every breath, glorify the Spirit of the Lord,
Through Whom the impudence of evil spirits is put to flight.


Synaxarion

On this day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Holy Apostles concretely in the form of fiery tongues, sitting upon each of them in the upper room in which they were staying. In honor of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Fathers, who have arranged all things well, decreed that we celebrate this event both separately and on the actual day of Pentecost. For, before His Passion, the Savior promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, saying: “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you” (St. John 16:7). And again: “When He cometh, He will teach you and will guide you into all truth” (St. John 14:26; 16:13). And again: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who proceedeth from the Father” (John 14:16; 15:26). And again, after the Passion, when He was ascending to Heaven, He said: “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (St. Luke 24:49). Therefore, having made these promises, He sent the Holy Spirit.

When the day of Pentecost came, while the Disciples were waiting in the upper room around the third hour of the day, it suddenly thundered from heaven, to such an extent that it resounded throughout the inhabited earth; and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of fiery tongues to each one of them, and not only to the Twelve, but also to the Seventy, and they spoke in foreign tongues, that is, each of the Apostles spoke the languages of all the nations. However, it was not so much that a foreigner heard an Apostle speaking his own language, but rather, that the Apostle heard and spoke the language of each nation; hence, to those who had gathered they appeared to be drunk; for, not understanding how each Apostle could be conversing with them all individually, they supposed that he was drunk. Others were amazed, saying: “What is the meaning of this?” These latter had assembled from all parts of the earth for the Feast — Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, who had some time previously been taken captive by Antiochos.

At any rate, the Holy Spirit descended after the Ascension, ten days having elapsed, and not immediately after the Ascension, so that the Lord might make the Disciples more fervent as they awaited the Spirit. Some say that on each of these days each of the Angelic Orders approached and adored that deified flesh of the Lord. Therefore, after nine days were fulfilled, the Holy Spirit descended, when reconciliation had taken place through the Son, fifty days after Pascha, in commemoration of the old Law; for, Israel received the Decalogue fifty days after crossing the Red Sea. Consider also the symbols: there a mountain, here the upper room; there fire, here tongues of fire; instead of thunder and darkness, here there is a mighty wind.

The Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues, because this shows His affinity with the living Word; or because the Apostles were going to teach and convert the nations through the tongue; tongues of fire, because God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and also because fire has the property of cleansing; they were divided because of the different gifts of the Spirit. And just as at one time He divided into many languages and confounded those who knew one language, so also now He divided into many languages those who knew one language, in order to gather together those who were scattered by those languages into the ends of the inhabited earth. The descent of the Spirit took place on the Feast in order that, with many people gathered together, the event might be recounted everywhere, and in order that those who happened to be there at the Passover and who saw what happened to Christ might be able to marvel. It occurred on Pentecost, because it was necessary that the Grace of the Spirit be poured out at the same time that the Law was given of old, just as Christ did on the Judaic Passover when He celebrated the proper Passover, the true Passover.

The Holy Spirit did not sit in the mouths of the Apostles, but upon their heads, encompassing the nous itself, the principal part of the soul, and one which is superior to the body, from which the tongue derives the power of speech; or because the Spirit somehow emitted a sound through the tongues of fire when He Ordained the Apostles by touching their heads to be teachers of the entire world; for the laying on of hands is performed upon the head.

The sound and the fire were manifested because these things occurred on Mount Sinai, so as to show that it was the same Spirit both then and now that gave the Law and appointed all things. The multitude was confounded by the sound of the wind, because they thought that all the predictions which Christ had made to the Jews about their destruction had come to pass. St. Luke said “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:3), lest anyone should think about the Holy Spirit in corporeal terms.

The Apostles were condemned for drunkenness. But Peter stood up and spoke in the midst of the crowd and exposed the falsity of this claim, citing the prophecy of Joel in his speech, and he converted about three thousand of them (Acts 2:41).

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, since He is able to comfort and refresh us, and because in His love for mankind He intercedes before God for us with unutterable sounds (Romans 8:26), as our Advocate, just as Christ also does. For He, too, is called a Comforter or Advocate; for this reason, the Holy Spirit is said to be another Comforter. The Apostle says: “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” (I St. John 2:1). The Holy Spirit is called “another” Comforter because He is co-essential with the Father and the Son; for the adjective “another” (in the masculine gender) is applied to things of the same essence and nature, whereas we are accustomed to apply “different” (in the neuter gender) to different natures. The Holy Spirit is in both the Father and the Son in every respect. Hence, together with Them He creates the universe and the future resurrection, and He does whatever He wills; He sanctifies, appoints, renews, sends out, makes wise, and anoints the Prophets. To put it simply, He does all things, possessing sovereignty of will and being almighty, good, upright, and governing. Through Him come all wisdom, life, and movement, whatever participates in holiness and life of any kind; in short, He has whatever the Father and the Son have, except for ingenerateness and generation, for He proceeds from the Father.

When the Spirit was poured out upon all flesh, the world was filled with spiritual gifts of every kind, and through Him all the nations were guided to the knowledge of God, and every disease and infirmity was banished. Three times was the Holy Spirit given by Christ to the Apostles: before the Passion very indistinctly; more manifestly after the Resurrection, through insufflation; and now Christ sent Him down in concrete form; or rather, He descended, illuminating and sanctifying the Apostles more perfectly; and through them He reclaims the ends of the earth.

By the visitation of the Holy Spirit and the intercessions of the Apostles, O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.


Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast shown forth the fishermen as supremely wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them didst draw the world into Thy net. O Befriender of man, glory be to Thee.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Once, when He descended and confounded the tongues, the Most High divided the nations; and when He divided the tongues of fire, He called all men into unity; and with one accord we glorify the All-Holy Spirit.

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 01/06/2026

Saints and Feasts: Monday of the Holy Spirit; Justin the Philosopher and Martyr and his Companions; Pyrros the Hieromartyr

Fast Free

Epistle Reading: St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 5:8-19
Brethren, walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:10-20
The Lord said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of man came to save the lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

29/05/2026

29/05/2026

Dear Parishioners please note there will be a service tomorrow morning 30/05 Saturday of the souls (Ψυχοσάββατο) @ 8:30 - 11am

Thank you

Αγαπητοί ενορίτες, παρακαλούμε σημειώστε ότι αύριο το πρωί 30/05, Σάββατο των ψυχών, θα πραγματοποιηθεί λειτουργία από τις 8:30 έως τις 11 π.μ.

28/05/2026

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW
johnsanidopoulos.com/2015/05/saint-theodosia-venerable-martyr-of.html

Synaxarion of the Holy Venerable Martyr Theodosia of Constantinople (+ 730)
(Feast Day - May 29)

Killed with the horn of an ox, Theodosia,
You are perceived as the new horn of Amalthea.

Saint Theodosia lived during the reign of Theodosios of Atramyttion [715-717] and was the daughter to pious parents. Her father died when she was seven years old, and her mother took the child and had her tonsured in one of the convents of Constantinople. Then her mother also died, bequeathing her entire fortune to the blessed Theodosia. After commissioning three holy icons of Christ, the most holy Theotokos, and the holy martyr Anastasia of gold and silver, she distributed the remainder of her inheritance to the poor and the orphaned.

After two years, Emperor Leo the Isaurian [717-741], who was originally called Konon and was an iconoclast, deposed the most pious Theodosios and seized control of the empire. Immediately he forcibly banished from the patriarchate with cudgels and swords Saint Germanos [715-730], most-holy and great among patriarchs, because he refused to obey his ungodly decrees, to not venerate the holy icons. Leo then hastened to remove and commit to the flames the holy icon of Christ our God, the one fixed above the gate of Constantinople among which was one called the Holy Chalke Gate* because of this image.

When the emperor's orders were being carried out, and as the spatharios** stood upon the ladder endeavoring to strike down the holy icon with an ax, the blessed Theodosia, together with other pious women, took hold of the ladder, cast the spatharios to the ground, and handed him over to death. Proceeding to the patriarchate, they threw stones at the impious Anastasios [730-754], the chief conspirator.*** As a result, the other women, with the exception of Theodosia, were immediately decapitated.**** The holy woman, however, was seized by a public executioner, savage and inhuman, who dragged her away to the Forum of the Ox, and with great anger drove a horn through the throat of the Saint, and in this way the blessed one received the crown of martyrdom. One can be informed of the numerous miracles, performed by her holy relic on a daily basis, if one wills. Her Synaxis and Feast is celebrated in the Monastery of Dexiokratous, where her holy relic can be found.*****
Notes:

* Chalke means "brazen," so named either for the gilded bronze tiles of its roof, or for its bronze portals.

** Spatharios, lit. "sword-bearer," a member of the elite imperial guard.

*** He was an iconoclast and placed on the patriarchal throne by Leo III; the original Greek text calls him the "fatriarch" instead of patriarch, which is a pun since "fatria" in Greek means "conspiracy", and this became a common name for iconoclast patriarchs.

**** Ten Martyrs, both men and women, are commemorated on August 9th.

**** The feast of St. Theodosia was moved from July 18th to May 29th. Joseph Bryennios speaks of her miracles. Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite composed a Divine Office in her honor.

See also:
Synaxarion of the Holy Ten Martyrs at the Chalke Gate

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 29/05/2026

Saints and Feasts: The Apodosis of the Feast of the Holy Ascension; Theodosia the Virgin-Martyr of Tyre; Theodosia, Virgin-Martyr of Constantinople; Seven New Martyrs of Kastoria; Andrew the New Martyr of Argentes; John of Smyrna the New Martyr

Fast Day (Wine and Oil Allowed)

Epistle Reading: Acts of the Apostles 27:1-44; 28:1
IN THOSE DAYS, when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchos, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. And putting to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidos, and as the wind did not allow us to go on, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

As much time had been lost, and the voyage was already dangerous because the fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion paid more attention to the captain and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to put to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, looking northeast and southeast, and winter there.

And when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close inshore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land; and when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the boat; after hoisting it up, they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they should run on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven. As we were violently storm-tossed, they began next day to throw cargo overboard; and the third day they cast with their own hands the tackle of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many a day, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

As they had been long without food, Paul then came forward among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and should not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. I now bid you take heart; for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and lo, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we shall have to run on some island.”

When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they sounded and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern, and prayed for the day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it go.

As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food; it will give you strength, since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said this, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all two hundred and seventy-six persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to bring the ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders; then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. But striking a shoal they ran the vessel aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the surf. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape; but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their purpose. He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all escaped to land.

After we had escaped, we then learned that the island was called Malta.

Gospel Reading: John 17:18-26
At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “As you, Father, did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

“I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

28/05/2026

Historical Introduction to the Fall of Constantinople (Fr. George Metallinos)
mystagogyresourcecenter.com/2025/05/historical-introduction-to-fall-of.html
May 28, 2025

Historical Introduction to the Fall of Constantinople

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Metallinos

It is always welcome and comforting to see texts that give Greeks an opportunity to recall the great moments of their historical journey. Especially in our time, where the new globalization, emerging through purely materialistic, authoritarian and plutocratic visions, pushes centuries-old traditions of faith and spiritual culture into the background.

This elegant volume, with its vibrant concise description of the story and its sensitive illustration, raises a voice of rebaptism to this memory.

We believe it would be appropriate to provide a rough record of the historical context within which the conditions were created that ultimately led to the "taking of the City".

The fall of the City in 1453 did not come unexpectedly, nor did it mark the beginning of the Ottoman Empire. The mistakes and weaknesses of the "Byzantine" society, but also its internal ideological and economic divisions, allowed the spread first of the Turkish-Seljuk and then of the Turkish-Ottoman element in Asia Minor and the rest of the Balkans and finally the creation of the powerful and threatening Ottoman Empire for the Christian world.

However, on May 29, 1453, a large part of Romania, which had been divided since 1204, was already under the Ottomans, the Arabs and the Venetians. Since 1204, the City had not been able to regain its former strength and everything showed that it was heading towards its final decline. The Frankish blow against it was so strong that by the 13th century, the Queen City, as it was rightly said (by Helene Glykatzi-Ahrweiler), was “doomed to perish”.

The fall of the City in 1453 marked the official beginning of the Ottoman Empire and was the culmination of a long-term disintegration of the political and economic existence of the Nation. Since the 13th century, the "Byzantine" populations had been divided and split for the most part among foreign tyrants. The subsequent penetrations of mercenaries into the army and of foreigners into the administrative machinery of "Byzantium"/Romania weakened its ethnological cohesion.

The civil wars, moreover, (1321-1328, 1341-1355) and internal anarchy intensified the demographic contraction. The other Orthodox peoples of the Balkans also presented a similar division. Serious mistakes in the economic policy of the emperors, such as the continuous increase of large property at the expense of small ones, who were pressured by unbearable taxation, the abusive expansion of the institution of "pronoia" and the often exaggerated increase in monastic estates, created an economic oligarchy at the expense of the small farmers of the land, leading to the economic crisis. Trade had fallen into the hands of the West and the possibilities for economic recovery were significantly limited. However, there were also spiritual causes of the fall.

Religious, social and ideological contradictions caused deep confusion, which acted as a disintegrator in the body of the empire. In particular, Western influences and the continuous concessions of the politicians to papal demands, for the expected military aid, led to spiritual deterioration, with a direct risk of loss of the spiritual and cultural identity of the Nation. Because, if "Byzantium"/Romania ceased to maintain its spiritual and cultural uniqueness, even if it did not fall into the hands of the Ottomans, it would disintegrate internally, transforming into a spiritual and political protectorate of some Western Power.

According to the Anti-Unionists, the fall came as salvation, because it preserved the spiritual and cultural purity and cohesion of the Nation, which in slavery was able to regroup and survive. After all, the structure and religious conditions of the Ottoman Empire (sacred law and the institution of the millets) enabled the "Nation of the Romans" (Rum), that is, the Orthodox Christian peoples of the Empire, to develop as an organized society within the boundaries of the "national jurisdiction" of the Church, continuing its historical way of existence, along with its identity, within the broad family, the ecclesiastical body. It is a fact that the post-fall History of the Greek Nation and the other peoples of the Balkans is essentially the history of the Greek Church, as an ethnoarchic body.

The event of the fall of the Empire was of enormous importance first of all for its Orthodox populations and their subsequent course. The fall was a crucial moment in their history, marking a period of long trial, with their economic and political powers reduced. If the psychic and spiritual powers were not vigorous, it is doubtful whether the Orthodox peoples could have overcome the consequences of the fall, as happened to other peoples in history. The loss, especially, of Constantinople, was a very important event. The City was the embodiment of all the hopes of the Romans (Orthodox) and especially of the Greeks. The preservation of its freedom, despite the great shrinkage of the empire, nourished their self-confidence and preserved their psyche.

But for the Ottomans, the fall was also of great importance. This legitimized their victory over the Greeks and other peoples of the "Byzantine" empire, which with the capture of Constantinople also became formally Ottoman. The conquest of the remaining Roman territories (Trebizond, most of Greece) was nothing more than the completion of the substitution of the Greeks by the Ottomans in our empire. The important thing, however, is that the once barbaric Turkish race of the Ottomans was able to form a powerful empire in a short time and marginally integrate into the system of European states, constituting a more open threat to the rest of Europe.

The gradual rediscovery of the rhythms of the collective life of the Nation was the fruit of the optimistic disposition of the dynamic collective spirit, which the Pontic muse lyrically captured: "Romania, even if it has passed, blooms and brings something else."

Source: Foreword to the booklet by Photios Konoglou titled The Taking of the City. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW
johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/05/hymn-for-fall-of-constantinople.html

A Hymn For the Fall of Constantinople

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

THE FALL OF THE CITY OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Because of the sins of men, God permitted a bitter calamity to fall upon the capital of Christianity. On May 29, 1453 A.D., Sultan Muhammed II conquered Constantinople and executed Emperor Constantine XI.

THE FALL OF THE CITY CONSTANTINOPLE [MAY 29, 1453]

Constantine the Emperor, Constantinople bravely defends,
And to God quietly prays, within himself:
"O Most-high God Who, from the heavens is looking
And injustice, you do not allow to defeat justice
Christians, against You, greatly sinned
And Your laws, have trampled greatly
Without Your permission, this battle is not
Because of men's sins, this blood sheds.
That this city falls, is it Your will
That they do not surrender, encourage my people,
That the Cross do not trample and to Islam go
But to endure bo***ge, until a freedom new
Let them servants be, let them even be slaves
Upon them, let hatred and ridicule befall,
But, with hope and repentance, let them endure
And, with bitter sighing, for former sins,
Until their sins, they wash away and every sin, they repay,
And until to You, they completely return.
If they have You, they will be rich,
All plundered treasures, You will replace.
Constantinople on earth, be or not be -
Constantintople in heaven, You established,
Where, with Your servants, you gloriously reign.
Before this Constantinople, behold, even I stand.
O Blessed One, on our sinful soul, have mercy,
When it is built anew, let the old one be razed!"

26/05/2026

24/05/2026